(Fri 03 Mar 06)

Hyundai's Amica city car has appeared on the UK market for the first time since 2002, and is available in three versions starting at £5995 on the road. Although we haven't seen it here for four years, the Amica was either the third or the fourth best-selling Hyundai in Europe in 2005 (depending on which Hyundai person is giving you the information), and the company reckons that the increase in popularity of A-segment cars has made the reintroduction worthwhile.

The new Amica looks pretty much like the old one, but it's undergone a facelift and the specification is higher than before, though prices are actually lower than they were when the Amica first appeared here in 2000.

All three models use a new 62bhp 1.1-litre engine (7bhp more powerful than the one it replaces), and two of them have a five-speed manual gearbox. Standard equipment on the £5995 entry-level 1.1 GSI includes power steering, a 50/50 split folding rear seat, a driver's airbag, tinted glass, ABS, front electric windows and a radio/CD player. Top speed is 91mph and the 0-62mph time is 15.2 seconds, but Amica buyers will probably be more interested in the 52.3mpg combined economy figure and the 128g/km CO2 rating.

At £6495, the higher-specification 1.1 CDX gets keyless entry, remote central locking, front foglights, alloy wheels, air-conditioning, leather trim for the steering wheel and gearknob and body-coloured door mirrors, door handles and rear spoiler. Performance is the same as for the GSI, but the combined economy figure is marginally lower at 51.4mpg.

The CDX is also available with four-speed automatic transmission. With the same equipment as the manual, and costing £850 more at £7345, the auto is considerably slower than either of the manual cars, but still returns 46.3mpg on the combined cycle.

Insurance is Group 3 on the GSI, Group 4 on both CDX models. Luggage volume is quoted at a "class-leading" 342 cubic feet. Class-leading indeed - that's about the same as a very large van, and suggests that the Amica can park inside itself. We think they mean 342 litres.

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